146
��PARADISE LOST
��New troubles; him thy care must be to
find."
To whom the winged Warrior thus re- turned:
" Uriel, no wonder if thy perfet sight,
Amid the Sun's bright circle where thou sitt'st,
See far and wide. In at this gate none pass
The vigilance here placed, but such as come 580
Well known from Heaven; and since me- ridian hour
No creature thence. If Spirit of other sort,
So minded, have o'erleaped these earthy bounds
On purpose, hard thou know'st it to ex- clude
Spiritual substance with corporeal bar.
But, if within the circuit of these walks,
In whatsoever shape, he lurk of whom
Thou tell'st, by morrow dawning I shall
know." So promised he; and Uriel to his charge
Returned on that bright beam, whose point now raised 590
Bore him slope downward to the Sun, now fallen
Beneath the Azores; whether the Prime Orb,
Incredible how swift, had thither rowled
Diurnal, or this less volubil Earth,
By shorter flight to the east, had left him there
Arraying with reflected purple and gold
The clouds that on his western throne at- tend.
Now came still Evening on, and Twi- light gray
Had in her sober livery all things clad;
Silence accompanied ; for beast and bird,
They to their grassy couch, these to their nests 60 1
Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightin- gale.
She all night long her amorous descant sung:
Silence was pleased. Now glowed the fir- mament
With living Saphirs; Hesperus, that led
The starry host, rode brightest, till the Moon,
Rising in clouded majesty, at length
��Apparent queen, unveiled her peerless
light,
And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw; When Adam thus to Eve: "Fair con- sort, the hour 610 Of night, and all things now retired to
rest,
Mind us of like repose ; since God hath set Labour and rest, as day and night, to men Successive, and the timely dew of sleep, Now falling with soft slumberous weight,
inclines
Our eye-lids. Other creatures all day long Rove idle, unimployed, and less need rest; Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed, which declares his dignity, And the regard of Heaven on all his ways; While other animals unactive range, 621 And of their doings God takes no account. To-morrow, ere fresh morning streak the
east With first approach of light, we must be
risen,
And at our pleasant labour, to reform Yon flowery arbours, yonder alleys green, Our walk at noon, with branches over- grown,
That mock our scant manuring, and re- quire More hands than ours to lop their wanton
growth. Those blossoms also, and those dropping
gums,
That lie bestrown, unsightly and unsmooth, Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with
ease. Meanwhile, as Nature wills, Night bids us
rest." To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty
adorned: " My author and disposer, what thou
bidd'st
Unargued I obey. So God ordains: God is thy law, thou mine: to know no
more Is woman's happiest knowledge, and her
praise.
With thee conversing, I forget all time, All seasons, and their change; all please
alike. 640
Sweet is the breath of Morn, her rising
sweet, With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the
Sun,
�� �
